When Two Powers Collide
The roar of the crowd grew louder with every second. The announcer took to his mic, drawing it closer and closer towards his lips, which were covered by his thick mustache. "Ladies and gentlemen!" He announced, his enthusiasm providing the crowd with more and more fire. "We are moments away from the final battle!" A large, rectangular, rocky battlefield sat before the announcer, with two individual entities composing east and west respectively. On one side, stood a prodigious phenom like no other, a tall, muscular dark skinned man, elegantly dressed in ceremonial attire, his leather jacket removed to reveal his tight fitted, crimson tank top. On the other, stood his arch nemesis, a rival he had battled against over the course of the last several years. Donning a fine pair of trousers to match his signature baseball cap, and displaying maximum swagger, was none other than Pallet Town's hero. This final battle, this one last fight would dictate which of the two was truly worthy of being crowned champion of the Kalos Region. "The stage has been set long ago, folks! The battle between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and Nail Muston from Slateport City will now begin! Contestants, whenever you are ready!" The announcer beamed, his voice dulled by the continuous roars emitting from the persistent crowd. Among several celebrities were numerous Pokemon professors, champions, and gym leaders from across the globe, who had all gathered to witness the clash of the titans. Hidden deep within the crowd was none other than Mr. Pokemon himself, AKA Professor Oak. Seated beside him was arguably the world's most powerful dragon tamer, Lance, and joining them was former champion Diantha, whom trainer Nail had recently stopped from claiming her title once more in the second round of the tournament. "Satoshi." Nail called out, one of the few living organisms to inhabit the very planet of earth who referred to Ash by his real name. It symbolized their bond as friends, opponents, and two respected powerhouses. He appeared calm and reserved, showcasing no form of anxiety despite the crucifying task at hand. "I don't think I need to remind you not to take it easy on me." His eye lids fell gently, a cheeky grin escaping the side of his face. Memories flooded through his mind, several images of his many historic battles against Ash. Ash smiled himself, his fingers curling to form fists at his waist. "Oh, don't you worry one bit! I plan on defeating you this time!" Ash declared, a reference to having lost to Nail in their last battle. Overall, Ash held the advantage in their battle record, outpacing Nail by a margin of 15 wins and 12 losses. He knew deep inside that Nail grew stronger with each and every loss, as had he. "Then come, old friend. Allow us to dazzle this crowd with powers they have never seen!" Nail cried, as he reached towards his waist, snapping a pokeball off from his belt. He then proceeded into hurling the ball into the sky, allowing it to rotate exquisitly, before bursting open in midair. The dust cleared, revealing a bipedal, insectoid Pokémon with a red, metallic exoskeleton. "Nail has chosen Scizor as his first Pokemon! How will Ash Ketchum from Pallet town counter against this!?" The announcer cried, a bead of sweat frindling down from his forehead down to his cheeks. The crowd had suddenly grew quite, remembering the role Scizor had played in dethroning Diantha. "So you've wasted no time, I see." Ash chuckled, titling his hat around his head. "In that case, neither will I! Go! Sceptile, I choose you!" A red and white ball rolled from within Ash's hands onto the rocky terrain, releasing the said pokemon from it's home. "Sceptile!" The reptilian, bipedal pokemon cried, the elongated leaves beneath it's arms blowing with the wind. "Interesting matchup! It will be Nail's Scizor up against Ash's Sceptile!" "Sceptile, eh?" Professor Oak thought aloud, his expression worrisome. "A grass type pokemon like that will never... er.." "Satoshi... let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Nail extended his arm outward, his fist colliding with thin air. "Scizor, start things off with a bullet punch!" Nail's Scizor dashed forward at a blinding rate of speed, it's two claws emitting a thick, white aura. "Sciiiii-zor!" The Pokemon cried, as it delivered two hefty blows towards Sceptile's chest. Sceptile drifted backward, a hefty wound appearing across it's upper body. "Sceptile! He's within range! Hidden Power!" Ash commanded, shifting both hands forward. The yellow electric mouse pokemon sitting peacefully on his shoulder remained patient and determined, as if awaiting it's chance to partake in the battle. A flash of light beamed from Sceptile's body, as it released a powerful attack straight at it's opponent, sending Scizor flying backwards. "What?!" Nail cried, his fist tightening before his eyes. "Hidden power fire?!" Oak exclaimed. "So that's why he chose Sceptile from the start... he was well aware of it's disadvantage..." Lance muttered, though his focus remained on the battlefield. "That Scizor of yours sure is fast, I'll give you that much. I knew I wasn't going to be able to deal much damage towards it with a slow Pokemon... In order to keep up with Scizor's speed, I had to rely on Sceptile!" Ash explained. "Pika-pi!" Pikachu chirped happily from his right shoulder. "Err... Scizor! Back to your feet!" Nail commanded. Slowly and steadily, Scizor rose to it's feet, third degree burns composing the better part of it's body. "Sci......zor.." The heavily wounded Pokemon called out, refusing to give up hope. Shoot... this isn't looking good... We can't manage another fire based attack like that... atleast not so easily! Nail thought, before his jaw dropped to announce his next battle strategy. "Scizor! Let's hit them with a technician boosted bug bite!" Scizor's claws emitted a soft white aura once more, before it charged towards it's prey. "I don't think so! Sceptile, garner your agility to dodge that attack!" Ash protested. At the command of it's loyal trainer, Sceptile timed it's movements accordingly, and leaped over Sceptile as it came forward, appearing behind it. "Not so fast anymore are you? Heh.. Sceptile! One more hidden power!" Sceptile covered it's body using it's leafy arms, before sending one final beam of blinding light towards Scizor, knocking the red pokemon into the air. It cried out in pain, landing with a loud thud in front of it's trainer. "Scizor is unable to battle! Sceptile wins!" The announcer declared, as the crowd broke into a triumphant rage of cheers. A red beam of light engulfed the defeated pokemon, returning it to it's pokeball. Nail looked down at the ball, his other hand curled into a tightened fist. "Shoot... Just like that.. urghh.." "Nail! What's the matter? I thought you were going to go all out from the start! Or is that all you've got?!" Ash questioned, a devilish grin overtaking his once humbled face. The two had a history of messing with one another, their words expressed the intensity of their matches. Nail smirked, strapping the ball back onto his belt. "Just you wait.. Satoshi!" He released another red and white ball into the air, which erupted into the air with a bright white flash. "Electivire, stand by for battle!" The humanoid, fur covered pokemon appeared on the ground with a light thud, clapping it's hands together to release a small jolt of electricity. "VIRE!!!!!!" The pokemon shrieked, announcing it's official arrival into the battle. Diantha smiled from within the crowd. "Type dysfunctions all over the mat!" She giggled, her beauty garnering the attention of several men seated around her. "I'm the only one whose witnessed that electivire in battle... and after what it did to my Gardevoir.." She paused, shaking her head. "I wouldn't want to be Sceptile right about now." "Electivire has shown up to battle!" The announcer announced yet again, taking to his mic after a brief break. "How will this pan out?" "Electivire, he's taken one of our comrades with him to the grave! Show no mercy! Discharge!" Nail ordered, his tone grim. "Discharge?" Lance questioned. "That's not very effective against-" "Just wait and see." Diantha advised, her eyes glued to the ensuing battle. "VIRE!!!" Electivire's body exploded with a sudden jolt of electricity, sending an immense wave towards Sceptile. "There's no way to dodge it.. Hang in there Sceptile!" Ash proclaimed. Sceptile held it's ground, as it was struck by the lightning. "TILE!" The pokemon's eyes widened, as it suddenly fell to the ground, trembling with fear. "It's seems Sceptile has become paralyzed..!" Lance exclaimed. "Electivire! Before it recovers... Ice Punch!" Nail directed, as Electivire thrusted forward, his left hand shrouded with a layer of frost. The beast delivered a frozen blow directly towards Sceptile's neck, sending the pokemon flying past Ash. "Sceptile!" Ash cried out, as a small explosion sounded behind him. "Pika-pi!" Pikachu added in, expressing it's sincerest of concerns. As the smoke cleared, it revealed a defeated Sceptile. "Sceptile is unable to battle! Electivire wins!" Electivire positioned itself within the very center of the battlefield and cried out into the sky. It released another powerful jolt of electricity, before thrashing his hands down against the ground. A small crater formed, displaying the pokemon's sheer strength. "VIRE!!!!!" "Nice work, Electivire." Nail said, as a red beam of light appeared suddenly from his pokeball, consuming the beast. Ash himself recalled his wounded pokemon, before addressing his rival. "Nail.. heh.. I wouldn't expect anything less." "Satoshi... I have no interest in speaking with you any further. Let our actions decide our fate." Nail protested, before drawing another red and white ball from his belt buckle. Two balls erupted into the sky, revealing two more pokemon. "It appears as though it will be Ash's Charizard against Nail's Garchomp! How will prevail between these two powerhouses?!" Diantha swallowed firmly, her hand running across her lap. "G-grachomp already?" "Charizard, flamethrower!" "Garchomp, dragon pulse!" The entire stadium witnessed a miniature earthquake, as two large blasts canceled one another out before their eyes, resulting in yet another thick cloud of smoke. The smoke cleared slowly, revealing Garchomp and Charizard's hands tied together, each attempting to break free. "Charizard! Take Garchomp into the air!" Ash ordered. By the command of it's trainer, Charizard took to the sky, it's wings beating behind it, carrying Garchomp high above the stadium. "SEISMIC TOSS!!!!" Charizard began to circle round and round, when suddenly, it was bitten by the neck by Garchomp. "RAH!!" The flying lizard cried out in horror, as Garchomp broke free from it's grasp, taking to the sky itself, using the blades on it's arms. "Garchomp!" Nail called out, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "Dragon rush!" Garchomp rushed forward, covered with dragonic aura. It collided directly with Charizards chest, knocking the wind right out of the flying behemoth. "...Z-Zah?!" The lizard began to fall from the sky, a trail of blood released from it's mouth. "Garchomp! Show no mercy!!!!" Garchomp took after it's falling prey, covered in yet another dragonic aura. It collided yet again with Charizard, sending the lizard downward at an even quicker rate. A large explosion sounded, with Charizard landing in the stands. Several screams echoed through the stadium, as attendees flurried for safety. Blood covered the defeated lizard, who laid unconscious atop several locals. A devilish laugh emitted from Nail. "Perfect, Garchomp!" Ash provided an intense glare towards his opponent before dashing forward to recall his pokemon. He looked down at his pokeball afterwards, tapping into it with his forehead. "That Nail..." "HAHAHA! You haven't seen anything yet!" Nail declared, his fist out before his eyes. "SATOSHI!!! I TOLD WARNED YOU IT WAS GOING TO GET REAL!" Diantha trembled in fear. "Th-there it is... that urge..." Lance glanced towards Diantha, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Diantha?! Your shaking!" "That blood lust... just like during our match..." Ash looked over to his most trusted ally. "Pikachu, are you ready?!" "Pika-pi!" Pikachu announced, as it leaped from Ash's shoulder and onto the battlefield. Garchomp slowly descended, arriving before Pikachu with a light thud. "HAHAHA! You've lost it! Pikachu?!" Nail exploded with excitement. "Your trash! TRASH! GARCHOMP! SHOW NO MERCY!!!" Suddenly, a stone strapped into the center of Nail's belt began to glow, with Garchomp answering it's call. The pokemon was covered in head to toe with a majestic, rainbow like aura. "GARCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The pokemon cried out into the sky, as it exploded with overwhelming power. A full fledged earthquake tore up the stadium, leaving attendees to run for the exits. "SATOSHI!!!! BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE'S STRONGEST WARRIOR!" Nail declared, as Garchomp took to a unique transformation, a form available to only the most honorable of fighters. "Through years of sweat... through decades of blood! We have concurred absolute power!! The final testimony of our strength! Satoshi! This battle is just getting started!" Pikachu trembled with fear, it's heart pounding through it's chest. Ash, himself could no longer maintain the presence of such a phenom, and fell to his knees. "Pikachu!" He cried out. "GARCHOMP!" Nail beamed. "EARTHPOWER!" The ground gave in to a tremendous force of energy. Distinctive cracks emerged, lava spewing from every inch. The blast consumed Pikachu, sending the miniature rat into the sky. "Pika-pi!" it cried, as Garchomp suddenly appeared above it. "Pikachu!" Ash called out in disbelief. "Iron-" "GARCHOMP, CRUNCH!" "CHOMP!!!" Garchomp's mouth opened, revealing layers of rigid, sharpened teeth. It lunged forward, piercing through Pikachu's entire body using it's impressive discipline. Warm, red blood rained down on Ash, as Garchomp landed in the center of the ruined battlefield with his pokemon in it's mouth. "Pikachu!!!" Ash cried out. Garchomp glanced towards Ash, spitting Pikachu out in his direction. The wounded pokemon appeared on the ground, rolling towards the very tip of it's owner's shoes. Pikachu offered a weak smile, before it's eyes closed. "SATOSHI!!!!!!!!" Nail cried, as Garchomp appeared poised to defeat the remainder of his team. "SATOSHI!!!!" He called out again. "FINISH THIS BATTLE!" Ash wiped away his tears, knowing darn well how hard they had fought to reach such a position. Pikachu would have wanted for him to win this match more than anything. With two of his most powerful pokemon in Pikachu and Charizard easily defeated by Garchomp, hopes of victory appeared dim.